Photography by Erik Olson

I consider myself lucky to be included among those that can say they grew up in the backseat of a Volvo wagon. In the early 1980s, before minivans were a thing and when SUVs still went off-road, it was one of the most practical family hauler choices available. My parents both drove them, and thankfully dad even went for the Turbo, which was no slouch compared to its competition…but worlds away from the P1800 coupes we’d eventually both own.

We filled those practical Volvo wagons full of our stuff and our dogs and took off on long adventures, sometimes piling even more stuff on the roof and going a little further, and even sleeping in the back with the seats folded down a few times.

We used them, we loved them, and in return they rewarded us with years of service that instilled a confidence that remains in me to this day. That might have been enough—to have an appreciation for all things practical that I could carry into the days when I would start a family of my own,